The Walking Dead. Trademark Infringement.

Just in time for Halloween, the producer of the hit cable TV series, The Walking Dead, has filed a Trademark infringement lawsuit over the use of the name ‘Valhalla.’

Trademark Lawsuit.

Valhalla Entertainment, the company behind The Walking Dead series, as well as two spinoffs of the popular show, Fear The Walking Dead and Talking Dead, filed the trademark suit against a company that is calling itself, Valhalla Studios.

Adding fuel to the lawsuit is the fact that Valhalla Studios opened up shop right in Atlanta, Georgia where The Walking Dead is produced. The suit states that unauthorized use of the name (Valhalla), which was registered in 1997, causes confusion and a misleading association with the two companies.

Wrongful Profits.

Besides trademark infringement, the lawsuit also sites unfair competition, deceptive trade practices and trademark dilution, as well as an unspecified amount of “wrongful” profits, actual and enhanced damages and legal fees and costs.

Ryan Millsap, the CEO of Valhalla Studios said he was surprised to hear about the lawsuit, saying he and his partners thought they were choosing a generic name whose roots stem from Viking lore. The company is investing roughly $70 million to build 9 sound stages on a 53 acre lot right outside of Atlanta. Millsap said his lawyers were in negotiation for over a month with Valhalla Entertainment regarding the name and was convinced they would come to an amicable agreement.

Coincidence?

Was this a simply a coincidence of a movie production company moving into the same area where a hit cable show is produced and innocently choosing the same name as the entertainment company that produces the show? Or is Valhalla Studios intentionally attempting to create confusion and ride the coattails of the popular production?